Neoliberalism exposed: ‘The Invisible Doctrine’ at BIFF

Neoliberalism exposed: ‘The Invisible Doctrine’ at BIFF

Filmmaker Peter Hutchison

Provided

On Saturday, May 31 at 4:30 p.m., “The Invisible Doctrine: The Secret History of Neoliberalism” will screen at the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington as part of The Berkshire International Film Festival.

Based on the book by the same title, the documentary explores the work of public intellectual and author George Monbiot (“Out of the Wreckage”, “Regenesis”), and is the latest project from award-winning documentary filmmakers Peter Hutchison and Lucas Sabean (“Requiem for the American Dream (ft. Noam Chomsky)”).

Augmented by AI generated graphics and animation, the film begins with Monbiot asking,“Neoliberalism: do you know what it is?” Largely defined by competition, neoliberalism pits people against one another in a system where financial success is encouraged and failure is shameful. But Hutchinson says it doesn’t have to be that way.

“We’re seeing neoliberalism on a very extreme level right now. With Trump, there’s chaos, deconstruction of the administrative state, flooding the zone, eroding people’s faith in institutions and democracy itself. This economic growth model is incompatible with the survival of the earth. We need to look at things in a different way.”

As a documentary filmmaker and professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Hutchinson is a skilled storyteller aware of the narratives we’ve internalized. His film suggests other models.

“There’s an experiment in Amsterdam called true cost pricing with the option to pay the standard or a slightly higher price that considers the environment, public health or labor practices. People will pay the higher price knowing what they’re buying has a direct impact,” he said.

“If we can expose a broader range of communities to all of these amazing ideas and people were able to adopt two or three of them, we could really make some fantastic movement forward,” he added.

“Human beings are the most cooperative species on the planet, and evolutionarily that has been an imperative for our survival. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here. We’re not advocating an end to capitalism as much as we are re-envisioning our relationship to capitalism. There are plenty of models within the structures of capitalism that make people happier, strengthen community and make people feel like they have agency. The more people invest in a community the more they feel like they belong to it, which is one of the most important antidotes to neoliberalism,” he said.

The screening of “The Invisible Doctrine” will be followed by a Q&A session. For tickets to this film and more during BIFF, visit: biffma.org

Latest News

Barbara Meyers DelPrete

LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.

Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti

SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.

Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.

Keep ReadingShow less
Veronica Lee Silvernale

MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.

Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.

Keep ReadingShow less
Crescendo launches 22nd season
Christine Gevert, artistic director of Crescendo
Steve Potter

Christine Gevert, Crescendo’s artistic director, is delighted to announce the start of this musical organization’s 22nd year of operation. The group’s first concert of the season will feature Latin American early chamber music, performed Oct. 18 and 19, on indigenous Andean instruments as well as the virginal, flute, viola and percussion. Gevert will perform at the keyboard, joined by Chilean musicians Gonzalo Cortes and Carlos Boltes on wind and stringed instruments.

This concert, the first in a series of nine, will be held on Oct. 18 at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, and Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Lakeville.

Keep ReadingShow less